Perunovich becomes the sixth player from Minnesota-Duluth to win the award which is a record among NCAA teams. The 21-year-old was named the NCHC’s top offensive defenseman for the third straight season after recording six goals and 34 assists in 34 games this season for the Bulldogs.

It has been an interesting journey for Perunovich when it comes to his NHL path. Initially undrafted in his first two years of eligibility, he was vaulted onto the radar after his first college year which convinced St. Louis to pick him in the second round (45th overall) back in 2018. Since then, his stock has only risen and he now stands as one of their top prospects.

Last month, Perunovich agreed to terms with the Blues on two separate entry-level deals, foregoing his senior season in the process. Which contract ultimately gets signed will depend on what happens to the current season which is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If play resumes, Perunovich will burn the first year of his deal this season and will be eligible to play for St. Louis in the playoffs if they want to use him. If not, the contract will begin in 2020-21.

The second round of voting has closed, and the Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists have been announced. 78 players were nominated for the award this year, and a fan vote was added to the opinions of NCAA head coaches to determine the final ten names, which has now been reduced to just three.

The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2013-14, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015-16. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact but are still NHL regulars after winning between 2016-18.

Last year’s winner was UMass defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to be one of the most impressive rookies in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche. Makar leaves big shoes to fill by this year’s finalists.

Kawaguchi, 22, was a phenomenal offensive player for UND this season, recording 45 points in 33 games. That total put him second in the country behind only Jack Dugan of Providence College—who is noticeably absent from this group—and ahead of some of the more experienced senior forwards around the NCAA. Undrafted out of the BCHL despite some eye-popping offensive numbers, the 5’9″ forward will be returning for a fourth year at North Dakota before starting his professional career.

Scott Perunovich – University of Minnesota-Duluth (agreed to terms, St. Louis Blues)

Perunovich, 21, ended the season with the second-most points among any defenseman in the country, scoring 40 in just 34 games. Through three seasons at UMD Perunovich has absolutely dominated the college landscape, driving play every time he touches the ice. He has already decided to leave before his senior season, agreeing to two different contracts with the Blues–one that starts if the 2019-20 season ever resumes, and one that will start in 2020-21.

Swayman, 21, is perhaps the surprising finalist only because as a goaltender he doesn’t get the opportunity to compare offensive numbers to the other candidates. Well, perhaps we should be looking a little closer at his jaw-dropping numbers in net after he posted a .939 save percentage in 34 starts for Maine. Swayman has been an excellent goaltender since entering the program in 2017, but after dropping his goals-against average to just 2.07 this season he has taken a huge step forward. Even as a fourth-round pick, he will enter the Bruins’ system as one of the most interesting goaltending prospects to keep an eye on.

John is a high-end shooter who is creative with the puck. He took big steps in both his fitness level and all-around game and became one of the most dominant offensive players in college hockey this season. We are excited to see his continued growth as a member of the Sharks organization.

Leonard, 21, recently finished his junior season at UMass-Amherst and is a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award after scoring 27 goals and 37 points in 33 games. Originally selected 182nd overall by the Sharks in 2018, he has quickly shown that his offensive ability can be relied upon even if the rest of his game is still a work in progress.

The Carolina Hurricanes have made Tuesday morning a family affair, agreeing to terms with bothDavid Cotton and Jason Cotton to entry-level contracts. David Cotton, the younger of the two, has been inked to a two-year deal, while Jason Cotton gets just a one-year contract. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell released a short statement on the deals:

David and Jason both had very productive senior seasons this year. We’ve been pleased with David’s progress over his four years at Boston College, and his brother Jason was recently named a Hobey Baker Award Finalist. We’re excited to see what they can accomplish at the professional level.

David Cotton, 22, was a sixth-round selection by the Hurricanes in 2015, but Jason Cotton, 25, went undrafted and is joining the Hurricanes from unrestricted free agency. Both players recently finished their senior seasons, captaining Boston College and Sacred Heart respectively.

At this point, it’s easy to imagine more upside from David Cotton, given that he is several years younger and had more sustained success at the collegiate level. In four years, the BC forward recorded 127 points in 148 games and was even named a Hockey East First Team All-Star in 2019. His older brother meanwhile recorded just 81 points in 118 games but was named a Hobey Baker nominee after scoring 20 goals this season.

Both players will likely try their hand at the AHL level first, giving a little more depth to a Charlotte Checkers team that saw several forwards leave town during the season.

So far when it comes to the college market, the Vegas Golden Knights have been quiet. However, rumors suggested that the Vegas franchise intended to bring aboard Hobey Baker Award finalist Jack Dugan, who wrapped up his sophomore season at Providence College. General manager Kelly McCrimmon confirmed that they will begin negotiations soon with Dugan, who led the NCAA in points this season, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen.

“We’ll have discussions with his representatives here at an appropriate point,” said McCrimmon. “It hasn’t been pressing because there’s no hockey being played. But those are conversations we’ll have here as we move along.”

Dugan, the team’s fifth-round pick in 2017, has driven up his stock in two years at Providence. He had an impressive rookie season where he posted 10 goals and 39 points in 41 games and followed that up with a much more dominant sophomore campaign, scoring 10 goals and 52 points in just 34 games. The 6-foot-2 winger would likely challenge for a role with the Golden Knights if he signs, although the team could send him to the AHL to further develop his skills.

In a Q&A, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) writes that from everyone he’s talked to, it’s expected that top prospect Trevor Zegras will leave Boston University and sign with Anaheim at some point during the offseason. Zegras, the ninth-overall pick in the 2019 draft, dominated at the World Junior Championships in December, leading the United States with nine assists in five games. He had 11 goals and 36 points in 33 games. Considered to be one of the top prospects in hockey, Zegras could conceivably make the Ducks squad next year and challenge for the Calder Trophy.

Michigan Daily’s Bailey Johnson reports that University of Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said that while he hasn’t had exit meetings with two of his top players, defenseman Cam York and center John Beecher, he expects both players to return to the Wolverines next season. York, the Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick (14th overall) in 2019, had five goals and 16 points in 30 games for Michigan. Beecher, the Boston Bruins first-round pick (30th overall) had nine goals and 16 points in 31 contests for the Wolverines. Pearson said both players are home and he’s giving them time before discussing the subject with them, but he believes both intend to stay in school.

AHL reporter Mark Divver reports that the Boston Bruins are expected to be in the mix for two of the remaining top NCAA free agents in St. Cloud State’s Jack Ahcan and University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s Mitchell Chaffee. Ahcan, a 22-year-old defenseman, wrapped up his senior campaign with seven goals and 25 points. Chaffee, who also is 22, scored 16 goals and 29 points in 30 games last season, his junior year, and is rumored to be courted by the Golden Knights as well. Divver adds that University of Minnesota-Duluth center Justin Richards is also on Boston’s radar.

When college hockey returns next season, standout defenseman Sean Dhooghewill be donning a different jersey. Dhooghe, 21, announced on his personal Twitter account this afternoon that he will be leaving the University of Wisconsin to play his fourth and final NCAA season with Arizona State University. While this may seem like a downgrade at first glance, Wisconsin was more bark than bite this season, falling incredibly short of their preseason title as national championship contenders. Additionally, the program has lost two of its best players to the NHL in recent weeks in the L.A. Kings’ Alex Turcotteand the New York Rangers’ K’Andre Miller. Meanwile, Arizona State again exceeded expectations this season and was likely to qualify for the NCAA tournament for a second year in a row, despite being the most recent addition to Division I college hockey. Dhooghe will have a better chance to stand out and to shake off a down year by his standards by joining an ASU roster that is not as deep as Wisconsin on paper, but he also may have better odds at NCAA postseason glory as well.

Dhooghe, who jumped straight from the U.S. National Team Development Program to the college ranks, is a skilled forward who has been a fixture for the U.S. at international camps and events over the years. He plays a smart game with great vision and skating and excels in space. Why then might you not have heard of him? Dhooghe makes “undersized” look like an understatement, standing at 5’3” and 150 lbs. His size wasn’t a factor in junior and he hasn’t let it affect his game at the college level too much, but it is fair to have serious doubts about his pro potential. He hopes to silence his critics with a big first – and last – season at Arizona State next year, which he hopes is followed up by a pro contract.

Harvard University is still waiting to see if they will have a top defenseman back next season, while on the other side the Vancouver Canucks are waiting to see if they could have yet another elite rookie on the back end next season. Blue liner Jack Rathbone, a 2017 fourth-round selection, told TSN 1040 radio in Vancouver today that with everything going on right now, he and his family will continue to take some time to make a decision. There is no hurry for the talented defender to make a call and he wants to be sure to make the right one. A superstar at the prep school level with Dexter, Rathbone still was not expected to take the giant steps that he has at Harvard in just two seasons, developing into one of the stronger all-around defenseman in all of college hockey. However, he still has another two years left of NCAA eligibility and may want to wait for a more secure role in the NHL with Vancouver. With plenty of other talented prospects on the roster, Harvard hopes that Rathbone returns to lead the team to the NCAA Tournament next year.

The Calgary Flames are using their time off wisely, making a major splash today by signing arguably the top two UFA college defenders on the market: Minnesota State’s Connor Mackeyand North Dakota’s Colton Poolman. Yet, they still aren’t done. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports that the team is still “working hard” on college free agent forward. While Calgary is not exactly weak in the pipeline, they somehow have become a top landing spot for NCAA talent this spring.

If the Flames really want to cash in on college free agency, that unnamed forward prospect that they are negotiating with would be Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota teammate of Poolman and a top candidate for the Hobey Baker Award. Kawaguchi, while only a junior, is expected by many to forego his senior season and sign in the NHL. After posting 45 points in 33 games to finish second in the NCAA scoring race and lead one of the best team’s in the nation, Kawaguchi doesn’t have much left to prove at the college level. While somewhat small, the cousin of Devin Setoguchiplays a similarly skilled and instinctual offensive game. Whether it be Calgary of another team, whoever lands Kawaguchi will land an intriguing prospect with a high ceiling. Joining Kawaguchi on the list of undrafted underclassmen worth watching on the open market are Minnesota State goalie Dryden McKay, the NCAA’s top keeper this season, and UMass forward Mitchell Chaffee, who is coming off another point-per-game season and has all the making of an effective pro.

Among the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker award, there are several seniors that don’t have much of a decision coming for them this summer. Their college careers are over, and they’ll be starting their professional careers in one fashion or another. Some of the others however, including St. Louis Blues draft pick Scott Perunovich, still have college eligibility remaining and could return.

The potential Blues’ prospect is one of considerable intrigue, especially after making a post on Instagram yesterday thanking his teammates and the Minnesota-Duluth program. For a player as accomplished as the UMD junior, signing his entry-level contract for 2019-20 and making his NHL debut was a possibility. With the season now up in the air, it’s unclear how the negotiations will proceed. The 21-year old defenseman had 105 points in 115 games at the college level and could be an impact player quickly for the Blues.

Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that the Calgary Flames are a frontrunner for the services of Colton Poolman, an undrafted collegiate defenseman out of the University of North Dakota. The younger brother of Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tucker Poolman, Colton captained UND this season and recorded 17 points in 31 games. Not quite as big as his brother, the younger Poolman is also already 24 and will have to cover a lot of development ground quickly if he wants to become a regular NHL player.

Jake McLaughlin, another undrafted college defenseman about to turn 24, has minor league contract offers from six different teams according to AHL reporter Mark Divver. McLaughlin recently finished his senior season at UMass, scoring 14 points in 34 games. UPDATE (3/19): McLaughlin is officially off the market. The Amherst standout, who was one of the NCAA’s best defensive defenseman this season, has signed an AHL deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, per Divver. Seeing as this is a contract beginning in 2020-21, McLaughlin could technically be considered the first ever signing by the future Henderson Silver Knights, the soon-to-be-relocated version of the San Antonio Rampage, who were purchased by Vegas last month.

The college hockey season may have come to an abrupt end, but award voting will go on anyway. Today, the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award were announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country, and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact, but are still NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.

Last year’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to be one of the most impressive rookies in the NHL this season with the Colorado Avalanche. Makar leaves big shoes to fill by this year’s nominees.

Earlier this year, 78 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and today that number has been reduced to just ten. These ten players will be narrowed to just three, a process that anyone can be a part of by participating in the fan vote. Votes will be added to the decision from a selection committee to produce three finalists, from which a winner will be crowned.

The top-10 finalists are as follows, with the NHL organization who owns their draft rights in parenthesis:

Last year’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to be one of the most impressive rookies in the NHL this season with the Colorado Avalanche. Makar leaves big shoes to fill by this year’s nominees.

The fan vote will be added to the opinions of NCAA head coaches to come up with a 10-man finalist group, which will then have another fan vote and go through a selection committee. The nominees are as follows: